Why is it that there is a certain group of people, who, when they have a conflict in a thread, skip past the actual attempts to have a good, stimulating, disagreement/argument, where they actually learn something from a friendly rivalry, and jump right to broad stereotypes/generalizations, flat-out insults, and intellectual dick-measuring?

Think'st thou heaven is such a glorious thing?
I tell thee, 'tis not half so fair as thou
Or any man that breathes on earth.
- Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus

Get over it, its not new, it won't go away. That's how people are. I've come to learn that its impossible to expect the kind of conversation with an intellectual opponent that you would a friend. Not to say that those you disagree with are enemies, but the argument will rarely be congenial unless you are friends when not debating.

Funny enough, your complaint and intervention has the same level of frustration in which most people argue. So, its really a moot point.

"A stupid despot may constrain his slaves with iron chains; but a true politician binds them even more strongly with the chain of their own ideas" - Michel Foucault

At 1/27/2012 8:47:31 PM, 000ike wrote:Get over it, its not new, it won't go away. That's how people are. I've come to learn that its impossible to expect the kind of conversation with an intellectual opponent that you would a friend. Not to say that those you disagree with are enemies, but the argument will rarely be congenial unless you are friends when not debating.

Funny enough, your complaint and intervention has the same level of frustration in which most people argue. So, its really a moot point.

But I think that actual discussion should be promoted, don't you think? It would really be helpful if *people* didn't start/continue flame wars at every possible instance.

There are certain people who, when defeated intellectually, claim that their opponents are morons and that they are more intelligent than anybody else in existence. These individuals spawn these types of conflicts.

At 1/27/2012 8:49:10 PM, royalpaladin wrote:There are certain people who, when defeated intellectually, claim that their opponents are morons and that they are more intelligent than anybody else in existence. These individuals spawn these types of conflicts.

At 1/27/2012 8:44:52 PM, Thaddeus wrote:Guy who normally is as bad as the worst of them subtly or non-subtly pointing fingers at other culprits.

At 1/27/2012 8:49:10 PM, royalpaladin wrote:There are certain people who, when defeated intellectually, claim that their opponents are morons and that they are more intelligent than anybody else in existence. These individuals spawn these types of conflicts.

At 1/27/2012 8:44:52 PM, Thaddeus wrote:Guy who normally is as bad as the worst of them subtly or non-subtly pointing fingers at other culprits.

Why is it that there is a certain group of people, who, when they have a conflict in a thread, skip past the actual attempts to have a good, stimulating, disagreement/argument, where they actually learn something from a friendly rivalry, and jump right to broad stereotypes/generalizations, flat-out insults, and intellectual dick-measuring?

Put simply, it is quite possible to have intelligent, civil discussion. My thread on negative externalities in the economics forum has not had a single barbed word in it. Admittedly, few have responded.

Put simply, one must simply avoid those who would respond strongly and emotionally and seek rational deliberation. It's also about being polite: if you are polite then others will be polite to you. Rising to others' levels simply exacerbates conflict for no good reason.

There are certain forums (meaning, say, education vs. politics) that are more civil than others on DDO. What's amusing is when positions in various forums (say, politics) are stated in the wrong forum (discussing economics in another forum for insatnce) and as if they are blatantly obvious, yet they don't bother to respond to criticisms of their argument that stem from other forums (ie. posted in the correct place) . It's absurd.

"Tis not in mortals to command success
But we"ll do more, Sempronius, we"ll deserve it

I think if your finding civil discourse a problem in the forum threads its time to take a brake from them for a while and do more official debates. those that take the debates are conscious of needing to be respectful enough for the conduct vote most of the time that I generally note we are on our best behavior MOST (not all) of the time with the debates.Also they have a definitive end and I think that helps us let the topic go. in the forums what usually determines if we quite arguing about whatever our disagreement is? usually it takes the discussion deteriorating into 'your a moron' insults to stop it. and it usually comes to that because person A unsurprisingly does not ultimately change person B's mind, so A in frustration considers person B a moron because of there unsuccess at persuasion.But in a official debate after round 5 person A just lets it go figuring 'B's not a moron necessarily, if I had just had more time......' thus not needing to blame themselves or person B for the disagreement ending still in disagreement between them.

One act of Rebellion created all the darkness and evil in the world; One life of Total Obedience created a path back to eternity and God.

At 1/27/2012 8:49:10 PM, royalpaladin wrote:There are certain people who, when defeated intellectually, claim that their opponents are morons and that they are more intelligent than anybody else in existence. These individuals spawn these types of conflicts.

At 1/27/2012 8:44:52 PM, Thaddeus wrote:Guy who normally is as bad as the worst of them subtly or non-subtly pointing fingers at other culprits.

Why is it that there is a certain group of people, who, when they have a conflict in a thread, skip past the actual attempts to have a good, stimulating, disagreement/argument, where they actually learn something from a friendly rivalry, and jump right to broad stereotypes/generalizations, flat-out insults, and intellectual dick-measuring?

Why is it that there is a certain group of people, who, when they have a conflict in a thread, skip past the actual attempts to have a good, stimulating, disagreement/argument, where they actually learn something from a friendly rivalry, and jump right to broad stereotypes/generalizations, flat-out insults, and intellectual dick-measuring?

My brain's dick is about 8.25 inches.

Yours?

Wow, with a brain dick measurment you can come up with anything and you decide to go with a paltry 8.25?

Why is it that there is a certain group of people, who, when they have a conflict in a thread, skip past the actual attempts to have a good, stimulating, disagreement/argument, where they actually learn something from a friendly rivalry, and jump right to broad stereotypes/generalizations, flat-out insults, and intellectual dick-measuring?

Maybe because a certain person, rather than addressing specific rebuttals to his case, claims that everyone else is moronic and unscientific?